BY LAWRENCE ENYOGHASU
THE Chief Executive of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) Col. Muhammad Mustapha Abdallah (retd.), said the agency has saved two suspected drug traffickers from untimely death that could have resulted from swallowing 137 wraps of cocaine at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport (NAIA) Abuja,
Abdullah, who disclosed this in a statement made available to Saturday Sun yesterday, added that three other suspected narcotic traffickers were also apprehended with 8.588kgs of cocaine, as they were trying to smuggle the drug into the country from Sao Paulo, Brazil.
The two suspects who escaped death are Ogbobe James Chidiebere, 33, who ingested 62 wraps of cocaine weighing 1.131kg and Okonkwo Ernest Nonye, 33, who ingested 75 wraps of cocaine weighing 1.375kg.
The three caught with the illicit consignment were: Okanimeh Chinedu Niclopez, 33, (with duty- free bag stocked with 3.3kg of cocaine hidden in chocolates); Obeche Ignatius Emeka, 29, and Ikeaba Chidi Anthony, 31, (with 1kg and 1.782kg of cocaine hidden inside socks).
Abdallah said Chidebere and Nonye would have died as a result of complications arising from ingesting the substance that tested positive for cocaine. His words: “Two passengers from Sao Paulo, Brazil enroute Dubai have been saved from premature death by the prompt intervention of narcotic officers. The suspects were in critical health conditions on arrival at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport due to drug ingestion.
